MATURITY COMES THROUGH SUFFERING

'Depending on God in trouble is a spiritual skill that can be learned only in trouble.'
Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller, The Way of Wisdom, p.42.

TRUE SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE

'Divine knowledge fills a man full of spiritual activity; it will make a man work as if he would be saved by his works, and yet it will make a man believe he is only saved upon the account of free grace.'

Thomas Brooks, Heaven on Earth, p.178.

KNOWING GOD

'The question is not whether we are good at theology, or "balanced" (horrible, self-conscious word!) in our approach to problems of Christian living; the question is, can we say, simply, honestly, not because we feel that as evangelicals we ought to, but because it is plain matter of fact, that we have known God, and because we have known God the unpleasantness we have had, or the pleasantness we have not had, through being Christians does not matter to us? If we really knew God, this is what we would be saying, and if we are not saying it, that is a sign that we need to face ourselves more sharply with the difference between knowing God and merely knowing about him.' 

JI Packer, Knowing God, p.27. 

CHRISTIAN MATURITY

'Is their love increasing toward the church? Do they sympathise more with her in all her trials; have they a less censorious spirit towards those who fall; have they greater compassion for all, feeling the troubles and afflictions of others as though they were suffering them themselves?' 

William Williams, The Experience Meeting, p.40.